


The Power of Three

by Ricky B (littletoes101)



Category: Steven Universe - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Gem Egg Hell, Gemlings, gem egg au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-04-13 14:18:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4525227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littletoes101/pseuds/Ricky%20B
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>“There will be Three, Kin of your Kin, who hold the power of the Stars in their paws.” -Erin Hunter.</i> Jasper and Peridot have three Gemlings. According to Peridot, her ancestors were once given a warning about and future offspring she would make, and because of that, she was forbidden to ever have offspring; but those rules don't apply on Earth. The Crystal Gems find out about the Prophecy thanks to Garnet's future vision, but Jasper doesn't want her daughters to know about it. She may not have a choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_She had to get to the surface. She had to._

_Those were the only thoughts on Jasper's mind as she swam furiously to the top of the ocean, ignoring the popping sensation in her ears as the pressure of the water slowly lifted. She had to get to the surface, the surface, the surface--_

_She finally broke the churning surface of the water, taking her first deep inhale of actual air in weeks. Air, in her lungs. Not salt water._ Air.  _Jasper felt like crying, but she didn't have the strength. It was all she could do to keep her head above the water, to keep moving towards the shore. Land. That was where she needed to be. If she ever saw the ocean again, it'd be too damn soon._

_It felt like hours before Jasper pulled herself up onto the sand. Her fingers and hands made deep grooves into the soft substrate, and she wanted nothing more than to collapse onto it. But, somehow, she made sure to drag her entire body out of the water before finally falling onto her side, sides heaving as she vomited up dirty green sea water._

_For a moment, she could hear nothing but the roaring of water leaving her ears, and then the sound of her own blood pulsing through them. However, suddenly, another voice came to her--_

“ _Jasper? Jasper!? Is that you?”_

Peridot. _Jasper never thought she'd be so happy to hear her mate's tinny voice. Forcing her amber eyes open, she looked up into the blurry face of Peridot. Opening her mouth, she tried to form words, but all she managed to get out was more sea water onto the sand._

“ _Oh, diamonds...don't talk Jasper!” Without warning, Peridot leaned over and pressed her hands to the side of Jasper's ribcage, pushing hard. Another spurt of water left her mouth—would she ever be done puking up the entire ocean? When she could finally start taking shallow gasps, Peridot spoke again. “Lapis let you go? I thought she was keeping you—I thought—”_

“ _She didn't do it for me.” Jasper's voice came out as a gasp, and it was even rougher than before. “We—inside of me—we did it Peri.” She stayed conscious only long enough to see Peridot's mouth form an unbelieving “o” shape, and then Jasper's vision went dark._


	2. The Snow

It had been months after Jasper's unceremonious return from the ocean, and the discovery of her pregnancy, and now the disgusting, backwater planet they called Earth was covered in snow and ice. Currently, Peridot and Jasper were forced to trudge through it, having phased warmer clothes around themselves to deal with it somewhat, but still being blinded by the snow. Normally, they wouldn't be traveling in this kind of condition, but they had to.

It'd been months, and Jasper was finally nearing the end of her pregnancy, which meant bad news for the two of them.

There were two types of carrier gems: egg-layers and live-birthers. Typically, the egg-layers tended to be smaller gems, like Peridot. Jasper's size meant that she was a live-birther; her body carried longer, giving the geodes that formed inside of her time to hatch and finish their development in the safety of their carrier. While it was certainly safer than tending for geodes, it meant that Jasper and their gemlings (Peridot had counted two on her scanner) would be in greater danger when her time came.

They'd moved around countless times, Jasper trying to find the perfect place to have the little ones. For the first few months of their lives, they'd be totally helpless, relying on her for everything they needed. They wouldn't be able to be moved, either; gemlings were far too fragile for that, and such a huge change in environment might kill them. They needed to be born someplace warm, where there was enough iron-rich food to sustain Jasper and allow her to feed them the nutrients they needed, where they would be _safe_.

And they were running out of time to find it.

Peridot's thoughts swirled in her head as she slowed her pace, hearing Jasper panting and struggling behind her. The snow was getting deeper, and therefore harder to move through, even with their changed outfits. The large gem was having a particularly difficult time, especially with her swollen belly slowing her down, the only sign that anything had changed for her. Peridot allowed Jasper to lean against her, watching nervously as her eyes fluttered.

“Is there anything up ahead?” Jasper's voice was clipped and edged with pain, which made a small wave of fear jolt through Peridot.

“I think so, there should be some kind of building up ahead.” She'd used what was left of her robots to scope out the area, and had discovered what humans apparently called a “barn.” She hadn't picked up any signs of life, other than some small Earth creatures, but no humans, or Stevens, or Crystal Gems.

“Will it be safe?”

“There's nothing dangerous around it.”

“Is it warm?” Peridot hesitated on answering that question. To the best of her ability, she replied slowly;

“To my knowledge, it's used to house Earth animals. I would assume so. Usually they put something called “hay” inside of it, along with other—”

“That's where we'll go,” Jasper said, cutting Peridot off. “That's where they'll be born.”

“ _There?_ ” Although Peridot hated the idea of their gemlings being born in a human contraption, she had to admit that there couldn't be much time before Jasper went into labor. According to her calculations, the gemlings should have arrived three days ago, which meant that they were late, and could come at any time now. “Jasper, are you sure?”

“There's no time to get anywhere else.” Jasper ground her teeth together as she spoke, leaning more heavily on Peridot. “Take me, _now._ We've got to get there.”

Peridot had no choice to obey, so she set her sights on the structure looming in the distance, letting Jasper limp along side her to safety—or at least, what they _hoped_ to be safety.


	3. The Barn

As soon as they arrived in the safety of the barn, Jasper was quick to heave herself up into the hayloft. It made sense; hot air rose, and cold air sunk, so it would be warmest where it was closer to the roof. Even though the barn looked as though it'd been abandoned for some time, it was rather sturdy, without any holes to create a cold draft. Warm place, check. Safe, check, at least for now.

When Peridot made her way up beside Jasper, she'd already collapsed on her side, panting heavily. Again, Peridot felt worry creeping through her chest, like a heavy blanket she couldn't shake off. Jasper let out a soft groan of pain as she rolled onto her back, her panting becoming rough and uneven. It was then that Peridot realized why Jasper had been in such a hurry to get to the barn.

She was already in labor.

“Great diamonds, Jasper, why didn't you tell me?” Peridot nearly shrieked as soon as she'd figured it out. Jasper opened one eye to look at her, answering the best she could between breaths.

“It shouldn't come as—a _surprise_ , Peri. They were supposed to—already be—” Jasper cut herself off with a moan of pain, screwing both of her eyes shut again. Her head fell back against the hay, and Peridot reached over to hold one of Jasper's huge hands in her own, gripping tightly.

“We're in for a long night,” Peridot muttered to herself, settling in beside her mate to wait out the hours before she could push.

–

Time seemed to blur together, but that wasn't important now. What mattered right now was bringing their offspring into the world safely, and Jasper forced herself to keep that on her mind as she screamed bloody murder.

“I have to push,” she said frantically to Peridot, who was still holding her hand. She'd gone off earlier to see if there were any towels or anything of the sort once Jasper's contractions started getting closer together, and she'd managed to find a few horse blankets that had been left behind by the previous owner. They were surprisingly clean, and at Jasper's words, Peridot shifted one of them beneath her legs, then moved so that she'd be able to clean the first one once it inevitably arrived. “Peri—”

“You can do it,” Peridot said back to her, using her free hand to rub one of Jasper's legs encouragingly. “I'm right here.” At her encouragement, Jasper took a few deep breaths, before leaning forward to push.

All at once, her body felt like she'd been engulfed in pain. Jasper had never felt this much pain in her entire life; even being wounded almost to the point of death was preferable over this. Even so, she kept pushing, screaming as soon as she got enough air in her lungs to do so.

When it was over, Jasper collapsed against the hay behind her, heaving in breaths as she did, nearly missing what Peridot told her. “The first one is coming, Jasper, just keep going.”

Jasper managed to say a few more curses before she had to push again, another scream coming from her. The pain was just as bad, but the pressure that had been placed on her hips finally released, and when she fell back against the hay a second time, there was a high wail that joined hers.

“She's here,” Peridot told her breathlessly, cleaning the fluid from the gemling's face so that she could breathe. Then, she placed it next to her mother, and Jasper turned, her heart swelling as her world opened up just enough to let this tiny little thing into it.

She was a Peridot, and she was tiny, but she had a pair of lungs on her. Her loud cries echoed off the walls of the barn, and Jasper smiled, reaching over with one hand to gently stroke her wailing daughter.

“Oh, Peri,” she whispered, overwhelmed by joy and pain. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Peridot shift, and see what she thought was a smile cross her face.

“The next one's coming Jasper,” she told her when the other rolled over onto her back. “And it's big.”

Peridot was right. Jasper was unprepared for how much more painful the second one was than the first. Her screams rose in pitch and intensity as the pressure on her hips became nearly unbearable, and Jasper gasped out to Peridot;

“Her shoulders—fuck, Peri, she's too big!” Her words were laced with terror; she'd heard of live-birthers getting gemlings stuck in the birth canal, and being unable to birth them, would die along with their offspring. Fortunately, Peridot had planned for this, it seemed, and she lifted one hand to press it on Jasper's belly.

“This is going to hurt, a lot, but I need you to keep pushing,” Peridot warned her, before pushing down hard. Jasper shrieked, feeling like her pelvis was going to snap clean in half, but she kept pushing anyway, white-hot pain blinding her senses. Then, finally, it was over, and a second cry had joined her.

The second one was a Jasper like herself, which wasn't surprising, considering how big she'd been. She looked much like her mother, with her broad shoulders and large build, but the stripes on her face and body were different. Instead of being sharp-edged and broad like her mother's, this one had rounded stripes, and they were thin, with two stripes starting on the sides of her face and going down to her chin. She was perfect.

However, Jasper had little time to admire her second daughter before another contraction gripped her body. Immediately, she froze in fear. That should've been the last one—Peridot's scanners had only registered two geodes. Was it possible that a third had somehow escaped her scanners? Or was it just dead, and therefore hadn't come up as registering life? Jasper hoped with all her might that it was the first.

Neither of them had any time to voice their disbelief before the third one finally came, much easier than her bigger sister. To both Jasper and Peridot's relief, she too started to cry like her sisters had. She was alive. She was also a Jasper, like the largest of the three, and the two looked so similar they could've been twins, if it wasn't for the Peridot between them, and the fact that the second Jasper was the runt. She most closely resembled her mother, but her gem was resting in the center of her chest, not her nose. Still, she was perfect, if unexpected.

Shaking with exhaustion, Jasper rolled onto her side, curling protectively over the newborns and keeping them close to her chest and stomach. They'd stopped their wailing once she did that, and they'd gone quiet, their eyes closed as they slept. The birthing process was almost as hard on them as it was on their mother, and she didn't blame them for wanting to sleep. Although older gems didn't need sleep, gemlings did, as they were still actively developing.

“They're perfect,” Peridot finally spoke, settling on her stomach across from Jasper so that the gemlings were kept safely between them. The bigger gem managed a weak smile, eyes half-closed as she did. She was right, they _were_ perfect, and healthy; their gems had no chips, cracks, or scratches. Jasper leaned up a bit so she could nuzzle Peridot, and they looked down at their sleeping offspring with nothing but love and admiration. They'd come so far.

Little did they know, the most dangerous part of having them was yet to come.


	4. The Emerald

Garnet was on the roof.

This was nothing new, of course. It was late out, probably getting close to 1 AM, but she had little concept of time. Time passed so quickly on this single-sunned, single-mooned planet that Garnet barely noticed it. However, she did usually come out to sit on the roof around this time of night, when the moon was brightest, provided that it was out. Tonight was a full moon, which meant it was perfect for what she was about to do.

Using her future vision had become almost as natural to her as living life in the moment. She lapsed into it so often that it was no longer strange, like it had been when she was young and still getting used to being what she was. Although she'd cut back significantly once Rose died and Steven came, she would dedicate a bit of her time every full moon to looking into what would be.

Tonight, she got more than what would be; instead, she found herself looking at something...else.

_Where her vision of the future would be, there was nothing._

_At first, Garnet panicked. Was she having some kind of terrible vision of the apocalypse? She seemed to be floating, suspended in near-pitch blackness, dim lights of tiny stars flashing in the distance. What had happened to Earth?_

_Her breath rate only began to slow once a figure materialized before her. Immediately, she recognized it as another gem; tall, lanky, and a pale green, she reminded her of Peridot, but her gem wasn't in the right place for her to be Peridot. Instead, it was just below her eye socket, and her hair, rather than being triangular, was long and a deep shade of green, cascading over her shoulders like an emerald waterfall._

“I suppose you've figured it out, haven't you?” _Garnet started as the gem spoke, catlike eyes narrowed in her direction._ “I am Emerald, a gem that once was, who existed a long time before you did.”

“Why are you here?” _Garnet spoke the first thing that was on her mind. Emerald continued to stare at her steadily as she answered,_

“I was trying to contact my kin, but I suppose you'll do for now. I was a gem who lived on Homeworld long before the rebellion, long before our conquest of the universe began.” _Lifting a hand, she ran it through her hair, before she continued._ “I was born with a link to the stars, and as such, received prophecies from those long gone. I'm sure you've heard of Healer gems before?” _Garnet nodded. Similar to Rose Quartz, Healer gems were gems who had healing powers, and were used to heal the broken or corrupted gems of others. It was long believed they had some kind of otherwordly connection, but until now, such a thing had never been confirmed._ “You likely haven't heard of me, but I do suppose you know my daughter: Yellow Diamond?”

_An audible gasp left Garnet's mouth, at both the revelation that the two were related, and that Emerald had a daughter._ “Gem reproduction hasn't been used in—”

“A long time, I know.” _Emerald waved her hand dismissively._ “But I am from a time long before yours, remember? Not long before Yellow Diamond was born, I received a prophecy: _There will be Three, Kin of your Kin, who hold the power of the Stars in their gems._ ” _She let the statement echo, somehow eerily, throughout the dark expanse._ “When she came of age, I told this to Yellow Diamond.”

“What does this have to do with anything?” _Garnet was beginning to get impatient. She'd wanted to glimpse into the future, and this...Emerald was holding her up with her life story._

“Patience. I'm almost there.” _Emerald paused to hold Garnet's gaze, before continuing again._ “At first, this didn't concern her, but when Yellow Diamond started gaining control, and eventually banished me to wander the cosmos, her fear grew. She became terrified that one of her siblings would have inherited these powers.”

“There are other Diamonds?” _Garnet's eyes widened in surprise, though they weren't visible. Emerald nodded._

“Yes. Well, there _were_. Yellow Diamond took it upon herself to ensure that all of her kin were wiped out...most of them.” _Garnet leaned forward, wanting to hear more._ “But she couldn't bring it upon herself to destroy her own daughter.”

“Yellow Diamond has a daughter?” _More shock crept its way into Garnet's voice, but nothing could prepare her for what Emerald said next;_

“I think you've already met her. Peridot.”

_Garnet felt like she'd been hit by a sledgehammer. Doubling backwards, she spun a bit in place, still floating in the air._

“ _Peridot?!_ ” _That little green rat was Yellow Diamond's daughter?_

“Yes. As I said, she couldn't bring it upon herself to kill her daughter, but she knew that she couldn't risk those powerful gems being born. That is why she had Peridot's coding changed so that she could not carry geodes.”

_This was almost too much to take in, but Emerald kept going, and Garnet kept listening._

“However, this is not to say that Peridot couldn't _create_ geodes. And that is why I'm here.” _Her expression turned serious, and she looked Garnet straight in the eyes._ “The Three have been born. And they are on your planet.”

“So what do you want _me_ to do?” _Garnet's stoic exterior had been lost at all of the declarations she had just been given. She didn't know_ what _to think. First, Peridot was Yellow Diamond's daughter. Then, Peridot had apparently made geodes with another gem, producing three gemlings with powers that even the gems couldn't imagine._

“It is imperative that the Three survive and flourish. They will need protection. Eventually, Yellow Diamond _will_ find out about them, and she _will_ want them dead.”

“She'll come to Earth?” _Garnet felt her body freeze. If that happened, there might not be a way to save the planet again._

“Yes, but I can tell that you fear she will try to take over the planet. She won't. She cares very little for this lost planet, so far from our own solar system that it doesn't even make its own star. But she _does_ care about the Three. She doesn't want any threat to her power existing, even if they are light years away.”

“You want me to protect Peridot's offspring?” _Did she not realize they were sworn enemies?_

“Not only you. I know you have others with you; the Amethyst, and the Pearl, and the...the Steven. Whatever that one is.” _Emerald's catlike eyes were still staring into hers._ “I understand my granddaughter has caused you trouble, but I assure you, it is imperative, for your future and theirs, that her and her mate's children stay safe.” _Turning, the gem started to walk away, her dress fluttering in the floating emptiness. Then, Garnet spoke;_

“What will happen if we can't?”

_Emerald paused for only a second, looking over her shoulder._

“You will not fail.”

_And then she was gone._


	5. The Thinker

Jasper slept all throughout the next day, and while she did, Peridot watched over the gemlings. They didn't do much; like their mother, they mostly just slept, but every once and a while they'd stir, or open their eyes. The two Jaspers had beautiful golden-amber eyes, but the shapes were different, Peridot noticed. The larger one had thin, narrowed eyes like her mother, and the smaller one had wide, rounded eyes. Neither of them stayed awake for very long, though.

The Peridot, on the other hand, had rounded green eyes. It was a bit unusual, considering Peridot herself didn't have colored irises, but she decided to forget about it for now. There wasn't much on gem reproduction; perhaps second-generation gems had a bit more color in them.

As she watched over them, eyes half-lidded, Peridot's body suddenly seized up, every fiber of her being going taut as her eyes widened. A blinding light filled her vision, and a voice echoed through her ears;

“ _There will be Three, Kin of your Kin, who hold the power of the Stars in their gems._ ”

As quickly as it had come, it passed, and Peridot's body relaxed, brought back to the present by the soft mewling of one of the Jaspers. Immediately alert, Peridot reached over to calm the larger one, who was making the noise; it seemed as though she was just testing out her voice, for the time being.

The noisy gemling finally woke Jasper, who opened her eyes and immediately turned her attention towards the gemlings curled at her belly. As soon as Jasper rested her hand on her daughter's chest, however, the gemling grabbed Jasper's finger in her mouth, biting down the best she could despite her lacking teeth. Chuckling softly, she pulled her finger out of the little one's grasp, then moved to rub her thumb against her unruly patch of white hair. As soon as she did, the gemling went back to sleep, resting against her sisters as she did.

Watching Jasper mothering the gemlings, Peridot wondered if she should tell Jasper about what had just happened. The saying that had been repeated to her was something that she'd heard before; her mother sometimes spoke of it when they were in the vicinity of one another. Still, she had no idea what it meant, or what exactly it was referencing. Glancing at their brood, Peridot wondered if there was some kind of coincidence; it spoke of three, and they'd had three gemlings. It was the “Kin of your Kin” part that confused her, along with the “power of the Stars” statement. Kin of _whose_ kin, exactly? And did the power of the Stars mean that the Three, whoever they were, would have some kind of power so overwhelming, even the gems couldn't understand it?

“We did a good job.” Peridot broke out of her stupor when Jasper spoke to her, amber eyes looking into hers with contentment. Peridot smiled back at her, relaxing a bit as she settled into a more comfortable position, lying on her stomach and keeping herself propped up with her elbows.

“Yes, that we did.” Of course she couldn't help but agree; Peridot would be hard-pressed to say that her offspring were anything less than perfect, though she was sure that was the same for all parents.

Well. Most parents.

She wondered what Yellow Diamond would think of her siring a litter of gemlings. She'd told her long ago that she couldn't reproduce. Would she see it as a miracle? Or a curse? Peridot didn't spend enough time around her mother to truly know how she would react. She doubted she cared that much about her, anyway; after all, it had been _months_ since she and Jasper were stranded on this planet, and she hadn't so much as gotten a reply to all of the messages she sent for help.

Now, she was facing the fact that she likely never would.

But Peridot wouldn't allow herself to focus on that. For right now, what mattered was their three perfect gemlings, and making sure they stayed safe from the Crystal Gems, and whatever else this planet had to throw at them.

–

Outside of the barn, a glowing pink portal opened up in the air. From it jumped Lion, carrying the three Crystal Gems on his back, and Steven in his mane, who popped out of it with a gasp. The thick snow made it difficult for them to move at first, but as soon as they were all standing, Pearl turned to Garnet.

“Are you _sure_ this is where you saw them?”

“I'm positive,” the tall gem replied, expression impassive and impossible to read. “They're here. And they're not alone.”

“They brought more Homeworld gems?” Amethyst asked in shock, but Garnet shook her head.

“No. You'll see. Just follow me, and _don't_ alert them to our presence.”


	6. The Fight

A shuffling near the barn's entrance caught Jasper's attention. The large gem suddenly pushed herself upright, body tense and alert like that of a guard dog. Peridot stared at her curiously, eyes flickering from Jasper to the gemlings, who were still asleep, for the moment.

“There's something in the front,” Jasper growled, eyes narrowing. “Peridot, keep 'em warm.” She motioned with her head towards the gemlings, and Peridot nodded in response. The two of them shifted their positions so that Peridot was now curled protectively over the little ones. Jasper jumped down from the hayloft, landing in the main area of the barn below, stalking towards the entrance with her body on full alert.

What happened next was so fast that Jasper didn't have any time to react. Within seconds, a barbed whip had been wrapped tightly around her, and she fell to her side on the ground, barking out a few curses as she did. As soon as she'd hit the floor, a spear was pointed straight at her gem, and she looked up into the eyes of two of the Crystal Gems, sneering down at her in triumph.

“We got her, Garnet,” the purple one she knew as Amethyst said over her shoulder. Jasper thrashed against her restraints, snarling out;

“You! I _knew_ you'd come!” Although her words came like fire from her mouth, Jasper's eyes reflected terror. They had to know. They _had_ to. The fusion—Garnet—had future vision, and if they'd used that to find them, that meant they had to know about the gemlings.

Jasper's instincts told her to keep fighting, fight until you die, but she'd only just given birth two days before, and her body was in no condition to keep up the fight. That and Pearl was shoving her sword closer to Jasper's gem, hissing out;

“Move again and you _die_.” Realizing it would get her nowhere, Jasper gentled her struggles, forcing herself to breathe, and most importantly, think. Her eyes flickered about the barn, before settling on Garnet, who was making her way around the building. Surprisingly, she was followed by the little Rose Quartz child—Steven, it called itself now. Involuntarily, Jasper froze. They were trying to find the gemlings, and it was very likely they were going to destroy them once they found them.

At least, that's what Jasper's terrified mind convinced her of.

She knew what she had to do. While Pearl looked over at Garnet, Jasper struck, quick as a viper, and grabbed the sword between her teeth. As she did, she twisted her body around, knocking Amethyst off of her feet with a surprised shriek. She let go of the whip, which allowed Jasper to get up and shake off her restraints, taking the sword and snapping it in half with her hands.

She didn't stick around long enough for Pearl and Amethyst to figure out what happened. With a roar, Jasper launched herself at Garnet, tackling the gem and slamming into a wall. It creaked and groaned, but didn't break as Garnet kicked her away, getting to her feet and panting.

Jasper had lost to Garnet once before, and it'd cost her the ship and her prisoners, but this time, she was fighting for more than her prisoners. She was fighting for her children, and an angry mother was the strongest force in the universe.

“We don't want to fight you,” Garnet said, and Jasper snarled in response.

“Nice try, I'm not nearly as stupid as you think I am.” She circled around Garnet so that she could stand in front of the ladder that went up to the hayloft, blocking off access to the gemlings and Peridot. Fear was coursing off of her in waves, but she manged to not look afraid as she faced Garnet, eyes narrowed and blazing. “You may have beat me before, _fusion_ , but you won't do it again.”

“We don't want to fight you, we just want to talk,” Garnet repeated, slower and a bit more gentle. She held up a hand to motion for Pearl and Amethyst to stay back. As she did, the Steven ran to stand behind her, eyes wide as he watched their standoff.

Jasper lowered her head, but didn't draw her weapon. She didn't want to move away from the ladder; if she did, that might give the other gems access to her offspring, and that was something that she couldn't bear. Instead, she kept her defensive stance in front of it, shifting her weight from side to side.

“Why should I believe you?” Jasper growled. Garnet took a step forward, and she bristled, jumping forward to block her. Before she could, Garnet spoke again, but this time her words were strange and chilling;

“ _There will be Three, Kin of your Kin, who hold the power of the Stars in their gems._ ” Jasper halted, feet skidding and turning up some hay as she did. Confused, she stepped back.

“What?”

“The prophecy, you should know about it.” Garnet's expression was unreadable, which only made Jasper more confused. “...you don't know, do you?”

“Garnet, what's going on?” Pearl asked from across the barn. “This isn't what we planned—”

“I know it wasn't, but I couldn't tell you everything. I knew you wouldn't come then,” Garnet said simply to her comrade, then turned back to Jasper. “So you haven't heard it?”

“What prophecy? What're you talking about? Is this another one of your tricks?” Jasper's lips were curled back in a full snarl now, eyes narrowed with anger.

“Peridot hasn't told you?”

That made Jasper freeze. “What do you know about Peridot?”

“She should know about the prophecy.” Jasper heard Peridot shift on top of the hayloft, as if she was uncomfortable. She'd been keeping secrets from her? Jasper gave a heavy breath, then snarled again for good measure.

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“The Three are here, Jasper, and they're _yours_.” Finally, a flash of recognition went across Jasper's face, which was quickly replaced by shock. “You can't protect them on your own—”

“Yes I can!” Jasper roared back. “ _I'm_ their mother, not you! I won't let you take them from me!”

“That isn't what we want,” Garnet told her, still surprisingly calm. “We don't want to take them from you. We just need to protect them. They're not safe enough like this; our getting here was proof enough of that.” Jasper ground her teeth together as the truth of her statement sunk in. She did have a point.

“We have to listen to them, Jasper,” Peridot finally spoke from the hayloft. She couldn't move, for the gemlings required her warmth, but she spoke to Jasper from her perch. “They're right. The prophecy is true.”

Jasper opened her mouth to protest, but she forced herself to stop. This wasn't the time or place to ask Peridot why she hadn't told her anything about their offspring, even if she wanted to know. Badly.

“When can they be moved?” Garnet asked again, and Jasper looked away from her. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“...three weeks, if the snow's melted enough by then. If it hasn't, they'll have to stay here.” Garnet nodded in understanding, and backed away respectively from Jasper. Then, a new voice rang out;

“Jasper and Peridot have _babies_?” It was the Steven, eyes wide and starry as he looked up at Garnet. She nodded in response. “Can I see them?”

“ _No_.” The answer came from Jasper, who was at the edge of the hayloft, eyes narrowed in the boy's direction. “Now _get out_ , before I make you.”

She was going to need a lot of time to think about this.


	7. The Steven

Luckily for both Jasper and Peridot, the Crystal Gems didn't return to the barn.

Unfortunately, the Steven did—or rather just, Steven, as he'd told them—come back to the barn. Repeatedly. Nearly every day.

Jasper didn't even need to glance over anymore to tell that he was there, peeking over the edge of the hayloft with starry eyes. Sighing, she turned her head away, rolling her eyes as she did.

“I know you're over there, brat.”

“Can I come see them now?” He'd been asking that question for days now, every single time he came over he asked to see the gemlings. Jasper could understand his curiosity; it was likely that the Crystal Gems hadn't taught him anything about gem reproduction, or the gemlings that resulted from it. Still, she didn't know what kind of things he could be carrying on him, and if it would harm the gemlings or not. However, they were twenty-one days old now, and should've been strong enough to at least be in his presence.

“...alright, fine. But only for a couple minutes, you got it? And don't think it means anything,” Jasper growled. Despite her cold demeanor, Steven gasped excitedly, then scrambled to the top of the hayloft and crawled over to them.

“Wow!” His eyes went starry again as he watched the three little ones. The bigger Jasper opened her eyes and yawned, then rolled over onto her back from her belly. Steven seemed to like that, giggling. “They're kinda like kittens! Do they have names?”

_Names?_ Jasper tilted her head. Usually, gems were just called by, well, their gems. But, in this case, it may be better for the three gemlings to have their own unique names. Having two daughters that bore her name and one that bore her sire's name might make things a bit confusing when everyone was speaking together. Still, Jasper hadn't even considered giving the little ones names, and she looked down at them.

The bigger Jasper had taken to trying to chew on her smaller sister's hair. The runt squeaked and flailed her arms blindly, falling over onto her back as she tried to escape her twin. Jasper gave a soft chuckle, taking the bigger one and setting her away from the runt.

“Alright, squirt, calm down,” she said gently. This seemed to give Steven an idea, and he beamed.

“You should call that one Spark!” He said gleefully.

“Spark? Why?”

“Her personality!” Jasper thought for a moment, looking down at the little one. Spark. It seemed to fit her.

“Spark it is, then.”

“And you can call her twin Lily!” He pointed at the smaller Jasper, who had clung onto her mother's thumb and was sucking on it idly.

“Lily?” Jasper wrinkled her nose a bit, staring at the little one. “What does that mean?”

“It's a type of flower, Pearl really likes flowers and she's got a couple growing in our window,” Steven exclaimed. “It's also the name of the mom in Harry Potter, but she—”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Jasper growled, cutting him off. “Lily it is.” Then she turned her gaze towards the oldest of the three, the Peridot, who was staring around the barn with her wide, green eyes. She'd started opening her eyes and keeping them open much earlier before her sisters, and her eyes seemed to reflect some kind of wisdom and intelligence in them that Jasper didn't see in the other two. Maybe it was just her being a mother, but she felt like this one was special.

“And then you can call the last one Marie!” Steven pointed at the little Peridot, who narrowed her eyes and reached out, grabbing his finger. Jasper stiffened, wondering if she'd bite like Spark had, but instead she just studied the boy's finger, eyes darting about as she did.

“And that one means...?”

“Like, after Marie Curie!”

Jasper had absolutely no idea what that meant, and she stared at Steven blankly. Realizing he'd lost her, he clarified; “She was a really awesome lady scientist who lived like, two hundred years ago! Isn't that cool?”

“Wouldn't she be a little miffed if she knew someone else had her name?”

Steven looked around awkwardly. “Well, she's kinda' dead now. Humans don't live as long as gems do.” Oh yes, that was right. Humans had such short lifespans. Jasper wondered how the Crystal Gems managed to keep themselves entertained with things that didn't last very long.

When Marie finally let go of Steven's finger, he sat back, smiling down at the three he'd helped to name. “You know Jasper, the Crystal Gems talk about you a lot. I guess they don't think that you and Peridot are good parents.” Jasper huffed at that. Of course they didn't. “But you know what? I think you're a great mom.”

That surprised her. Jasper blinked slowly at Steven, who was still smiling at her. He sighed, and then continued, “I wish I could've known my mom. These little gemlings are so lucky to have both their parents.”

“They sure are.” That was when Jasper found that Steven actually didn't bother her that much.

The Crystal Gems would be another matter entirely.


	8. Not A Chapter: Author's Note

I am so so so incredibly sorry for the wait everyone! Life got really busy for me all of a sudden and I've barely had any time to really do stuff I want, let alone write. I'm finally back and ready to get in the game, so to speak, so the next chapter of TPoT should be up tonight (yaaay)! It should go back to either daily or weekly updates soon.


	9. The Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TIGER, tiger, burning bright  
> In the forests of the night,  
> What immortal hand or eye  
> Could frame thy fearful symmetry?  
> ("The Tiger" - William Blake)

Once the snow had begun to melt, Jasper felt her dread rising. The Crystal Gems had been returning to the barn with alarming frequency, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before they were forced to move to their base. Marie, Spark, and Lily were certainly big and strong enough to be moved, but that wasn't what was making Jasper anxious. Instead, it was the fear of the Crystal Gems themselves – how did she know that they weren't planning on harming the little ones behind her back?

Jasper swore to herself that she'd die before she let that happen.

It was a Sunday when they were finally ready to be moved. Peridot and Jasper had spent the whole day preparing their brood for the move, though the little ones weren't too keen on being fussed over. Though they could barely crawl, they wriggled and thrashed about with a good amount of force as Jasper attempted to groom them somewhat. They seemed to share her dislike of getting cleaned, which brought a short-lived smile to her face.

As quickly as it had come, it was gone when Jasper sensed movement at the front of the barn. She quickly whirled around with her back to the gemlings, ready to protect them in the case of danger, but it was only Steven. He stood in front of the barn door with a nervous expression, his foot making a circle in the dirt on the floor.

“Um – Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst want to know if you're ready?” He finally asked. His words were cautious and contained, as if he could sense the tensions in the room; Jasper reminded herself that he likely could. Even though Jasper hadn't completely warmed up to the boy, she accepted him more easily than the other gems, and it seemed as though they'd realized this and sent him on ahead in front of them. A wise decision.

Still, his question jumbled Jasper's thoughts for a moment, and she repeated the question to herself in her head before continuing. “Yeah.” Swallowing heavily, she turned to Peridot. “You take the two little ones, I'll get Spark.”

Spark seemed quite indignant at being separated from her sisters, and she mewled loudly with distress as Jasper picked her up, holding her close as she descended from the hayloft. Immediately, Steven's eyes went starry as he saw the little ones, rushing over to Jasper and Peridot to give each one of them a calming pat. Surprisingly, it seemed to work; Spark quickly calmed in her mother's arms, as did Marie and Lily, who'd been just as displeased at the arrangement as their largest sibling.

“There's a warp pad not too far from here, so you don't have to walk so far,” Steven told them as they exited the barn. They were met with a cold gust of wind, and Spark growled at it, burying herself further into her mother's arms. “And when we get back home, I made a little place where you all can stay! The temple doesn't have rooms for you yet, but after you've been here a while it might.”

Jasper gave a soft huff at that, her breath forming a foggy cloud in the cold air. She didn't know how she felt about staying there for “a while”; she'd figured that they'd eventually find their own place to live, somewhere better than the barn but apart from the Crystal Gems. She wanted nothing to do with them at all, but the threat of the prophecy was too big for her to ignore.

Speaking of that, Jasper looked over her shoulder to glance at Peridot for a moment. Lily and Marie had cuddled up together in her arms, and appeared to be sleeping, which was good. Jasper's fear had been that the move would stress them out too much, but so far, that didn't seem to be a problem. Still, she couldn't help but think back to the cryptic words Garnet had echoed, and what they could possibly mean.

_There will be Three, Kin of your Kin, who hold the power of the Stars in their gems._

Xxxx

That night, Jasper was definitely tired enough to sleep. She, Peridot, and her gemlings had been given a place in the area called “Steven's Room” of the Crystal Gem's hideout. A soft pallet made of blankets and pillows served as their resting place, where the gemlings were already asleep, curled up between their mothers and the pillows. Peridot had her head on one of the pillows, eyes glowing in the dark as she watched over them, obviously not quite tired enough to need the extra energy. The warm glow of her eyes provided the security that Jasper needed to fall into a deep sleep almost immediately, her worn-out body ready to recharge itself as she did.

_For the first night in a long time, Jasper dreamed._

_She was standing in front of a burning structure; it looked like an abandoned building, nearly ready to collapse under the weight of its failing infrastructure. That alone wasn't strange, though. Jasper had seen and started many fires throughout her lifetime. What was strange was the creature standing in front of the fire._

_It was a tiger. She recognized it from a few of the human books Peridot had picked up and read while they were stranded. According to her information, the tiger should have been running terrified from the fire, but this creature seemed to have no fear. Jasper watched with morbid curiosity as it got closer to the burning structure, then stood in the fire, its body totally intact._

_Then, the creature turned to her, and its eyes met hers. They were a burning yellow-orange, which seemed familiar, yet also unknown. Then, she studied the tiger's stripe patterns; they were broad, and thick, and uneven from one side to the other. Around its eyes were two dark circles, and in the middle of its chest sat a marking that looked like Jasper's gem._

“Lily?” _Jasper gasped. The tiger rose its tail straight up in greeting, before the building crashed down around it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [[hooray I finally updated! hopefully I'll go back to updating normally now lmao. sorry for the wait!]]


	10. Re-write

So after an incredibly long hiatus I've decided this fic needs a re-write. I'm going to be rebuilding this fic from the ground up, including a lot of the beginning plot elements and whatnot. I've grown as a writer so hopefully this will be a positive change.

Keep an eye out for the re-write!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Power of Three](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6855820) by [Ricky B (littletoes101)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littletoes101/pseuds/Ricky%20B)




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